Guide · 6-min read
What is a local SEO audit?
A structured health-check on every signal Google uses to decide whether to show your business when someone nearby searches for what you do. Here's exactly what's in one, and why each piece matters.
Run a free audit7
Categories checked
0–100
Visibility Score
<15s
Time to result
30+
Specific signals
The 7 categories a real audit covers
Each category in your Flatline audit is graded independently and rolled into a single Visibility Score. Click any category in your report to see the underlying checks.
Performance
How fast your page loads on a real phone. Core Web Vitals, mobile load time, render-blocking scripts.
On-page SEO
Page title, meta description, single H1, canonical URL, robots meta tag, indexability.
Mobile
Viewport configured, layout that works on a 375px screen, tap targets sized correctly.
Security
HTTPS plus the response headers (HSTS, X-Frame-Options, CSP) that protect your visitors.
Social sharing
Open Graph + Twitter Card tags so your links render with title, description and image when shared.
Crawlability
robots.txt isn't accidentally blocking everyone, sitemap.xml exists and lists your real pages.
Structured data
Schema.org markup so search engines understand your business type, hours, location for local pack inclusion.
Why each one matters
A category isn't passing or failing in a vacuum — it's affecting your bookings.
Performance and Core Web Vitals are part of Google's ranking algorithm. A page that loads in 1.2s outranks the same page at 4.2s, all else equal. Missing meta descriptions tank your click-through rate even when you rank well. A robots.txt that accidentally disallows everything is an extinction-level SEO event. Each finding in your report is mapped back to the customer outcome it's costing you.
How to use your audit report
Read the score
A Visibility Score of 71+ means strong foundations. 41-70 is mixed — usually 3-6 specific fixes away from competitive. 0-40 means serious gaps, often one or two big issues doing most of the damage.
Sort by severity
Findings are badged Critical / Warning / Tip / OK. Fix the Criticals this week. Warnings this month. Tips when you have spare time. Don't skip the OK list — it's your moat against regressions.
Re-audit weekly
Score moves with every change. Catch CMS-update regressions before customers do. The Pro plan emails you when the score drops by more than 5 points.
Track progress over time
Your dashboard shows a sparkline of every audit. Use it as proof-of-work for clients, or to argue for budget internally.
Local SEO audit FAQ
How is a local SEO audit different from a regular SEO audit?+
Local audits weight the signals that affect map-pack and 'near me' rankings: Google Business Profile completeness, NAP (name/address/phone) consistency, LocalBusiness schema, location-specific landing pages. A general SEO audit might score these but won't surface them as priorities.
How often should I run an audit?+
Weekly if your site changes often (CMS updates, new blog posts, deploys). Monthly is the minimum for a static brochure site. Always run one immediately after a redesign, migration, or hosting change.
Do I need to be technical to act on the findings?+
No. Each finding is plain English plus the business consequence. 'Page takes 6.2s to load on mobile, most visitors leave after 3' — your developer or web designer knows what to do with that. If you're stuck, our Contact form gets quotes from a Belfast agency.
Will fixing everything guarantee me #1 rankings?+
No tool can promise that. What an audit guarantees is removing the technical blockers that keep good content from being seen. Rankings then come down to content quality, backlinks, and time.
What's a good score to aim for?+
75+ puts you ahead of about 80% of UK local-business sites we audit. 90+ is exceptional and usually means a deliberate, ongoing investment in technical SEO.
Audit your site, free
Get a Visibility Score and a categorised punch list of what to fix, in 15 seconds. No card, no signup wall.